ADATA XPG V2 RAM DDR3-2400 8GB Memory Kit Review

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ADATA AX3U2400W4G11 Conclusion

The ADATA XPG V2 DDR3-2400MHz 8GB Dual-Channel Kit is a cool looking, well-performing RAM kit that delivers what it promises. The 2400MHz clock speed is above the rated speed for any existing chipset, although the X79 chipset does have a 2400MHz memory divider that allows for overclocking without changing the base frequency. The AMD Richland APUs also offer more in the way of specific performance enhancing coding for RAM speeds up to 2133MHz. That’s good news, considering RAM speeds have typically not translated well into real-world performance increases. Throughout my testing, I’ve shown that this is still the case, although the performance increase may be somewhat more significant than with previous chipsets. The really compelling reason now to get 2400MHz RAM modules is that the price seems to be right. Over the next few paragraphs I’ll be giving my justifications for the ratings I’ll be giving at the end of the page. Keep in mind that these are my opinions based on my hands on experience with the ADATA AX3U2400W4G11.

The AX3U2400W4G11 delivered performance on par with its specifications, but only narrowly. In fact, the slower, 2133MHz Kingston HyperX RAM outperformed the ADATA XPG V2 2400MHz kit in several synthetic tests. This didn’t carry over with the real-world scenario tests, however, where the AX3U2400W4G11 won out in each of the games and the video conversion. That doesn’t necessarily mean much, however, considering a 50% increase in RAM speed only translated into about a 15% increase in FPS in Bioshock and 20% in Tomb Raider.

I do like the look of the ADATA XPG V2 series RAM kits. The flashy heat shroud is pretty cool-looking and stands out well in my test bench. In a system with a windowed side panel, the modules should stand out pretty well, as long as you have some interior case lighting. They are available in Gold or Tungsten colors and either one looks good. The kit I got from ADATA was Tungsten colored and I think it matched particularly well with the black PCB.

The construction quality of the AX3U2400W4G11 seems to be on par with the rest of the industry where high-speed RAM is concerned. The heat shroud is durable and well-attached to the PCB. Speaking of the PCB, it’s 2oz double-copper 8-layer construction is made for increased stability. The heat shroud is part of ADATA’s Thermal Conductive Technology (TCT) that provides more thermo-conductivity by covering more surface area.

The AX3U2400W4G11 performed completely stably at its rated speed of 2400MHz, as well as at 1600MHz, 1866MHz and 2133MHz with reduced timings giving you plenty of options based on your existing system. I was also able to run XPG V2 kit at 2600MHz if I increased the timings to 13-13-13-40. There is a potential that you could run this RAM even faster.

As of August 2013 the ADATA XPG V2 AX3U2400W4G11-DMV memory kit sells online for $94.99 (Amazon | Newegg). For an 8GB dual channel kit running at 2400MHz, that is a little pricey. The feature set on the AX3U2400W4G11, including the thermal technology they’ve implemented through the use of their heat shroud and the PCB build quality, makes up a little for the higher price, but I’m not sure it makes up completely. The same Kingston HyperX Beast 2133MHz 8GB dual-channel kit that beat the AX3U2400W4G11 on occasion in our tests costs less in the 2400MHz flavor. I can’t say that the AX3U2400W4G11 isn’t worth the near $100 it costs, but I can’t say it is the best value I’ve seen.